Thursday, 19 February 2009

Sarah Michael and an English Tradition

Sarah Michael says of her work: "I have been interested for years in the way in which the Picturesque tradition of English landscape painting became associated with conservative values due to its emergence at a time when rural life in Britain was disappearing. It emerged as a way for the artists of that period, like Constable and Gainsborough, to create a romantic image of a way of life, which was being replaced by the industrial revolution....""The characters in the pictures are intended to earth the images in the true experience of tourism in Britain, which is, in my experience, is often one of getting lost and wet. The characters include a man slumped drunk under a tree after a stag weekend, a couple arguing, lost hikers, wounded walkers and territorial birdwatchers...."More can be seen here....